If I Die Young
by Midnight-Cheshire
Summary: There's a killer on the loose, and a stallion that seems to have come from nowhere is helping an amnesiac Tegan to find the people who killed her best friend. Summary changed.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard or any of its characters.**_

_**AN: I know that this isn't the best of stories, but it is one of my first, so there will be mistakes. **_

One second the car was driving steadily along, in the next, a swerving car and struck the side of the small sedan, sending it sliding off the road into a mud pit. Everything was blurry and spinning; and it hurt, a lot. Waves of searing pain coursed through her head, something warm steadily flowing down the side of her head in her hair. She raised a shaky hand and drew her fingers through her once chocolate brown hair, which was now a sheen of deep red. She looked into the back seat where her best friend, Jillian, lay, unmoving.

Jillian's mother was slumped over the steering wheel, groaning softly, head leaned to one side as she succumbed to unconsciousness.

Tegan pushed the car door open, the edge connecting with a tree trunk that she hadn't noticed there before. She stumbled out of the car and fell over a tree root, attempting to crawl around to the back of the car to see the road. It was dark outside, a thin fog hovering above the ground, lowering visibility considerably.

The other car was gone, but Tegan had seen it for a brief moment before the wreck. She tried to remember, but her vision was swimming and it became hard to focus. Now she wracked her brain trying to remember the car whilst trying to stay awake.

"Hello?"

Someone was there. Tegan lifted her head to try and see, craning her neck uncomfortably when another wave of pain prevented from shifting over to her side.

A white car was stopped at the side of the road, blue and red lights sitting atop, flashing brightly against the dark and mist.

Careful footsteps around the sedan, checking for anyone awake, or alive, and when the officer was close enough, Tegan realized who he was.

"Uncle...Uncle Enos."

"God...Tegan? You hang tight, I've already radioed for an ambulance."

Other than a few bruises and scratches, the girl appeared to be alright. Awake and coherent, another good sign. She'd also gotten away from the car, probably to try and get help. Enos cringed when he noticed a nasty looking cut on the side of Tegan's head, bleeding heavily.

"Keep your eyes open, sweetheart. Ya gotta stay awake."

Tegan nodded, but in moments she saw nothing but darkness, nothingness. When she opened them again, everything was white and smelled sterile. The lights in the room were dimmed, the curtains drawn, and the only sound being that of a heart monitor and her own breathing.

Someone came in a few minutes later and smiled.

"It's about time we saw those pretty blue eyes of yours."

Tegan didn't respond, but watched the nurse carefully.

"Since you're awake, there are a few questions I need to ask you."

Tegan nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Tegan...Duke?"

"What year is it?"

Tegan shook her head. "Everything's fuzzy."

"You had a pretty serious laceration on the side of your head. You also sustained a moderate concussion. Memory loss is expected but shouldn't last long. How about I go call your family, let them know you're up?"

Tegan nodded and smiled halfheartedly, laying down again when the nurse left the room. People came by later to talk to her. One was almost in tears. Happy that she was awake, but upset that she didn't recognize him. 'I'm your dad, remember? Luke Duke? Don't ya remember?'

Tegan remembered no-one.

* * *

Early in the morning, mid-week, a lone pickup towed a small horse trailer down the dusty old country roads outside of Hazzard. The sun was barely out, so not many people were either. The driver of the truck stared intently at the road, focused only on where he was going and not where he'd been. The passenger nervously glanced between the rear view mirror and the driver.

"It ain't our fault." He finally said.

"No, it ain't my fault." The driver growled. "I could've just kept goin', but ya had to stop to see if they was okay. We didn't wait, so what was the poit?"

"It ain't okay to leave the scene of an accident." The passenger replied quietly, shifting uncomfortably in the seat.

"If we'd stayed, then we'd a been caught!" The driver spat. "Now, one of those damn horses got away and we ain't gonna get paid if we can't get it back!"

"How's I supposed to know it knows how to unlatch doors with its nose? If ya ask me, we should've bought a better trailer...one with better locks and doors."

"Yeah, then maybe even a nitwit like you wouldn't manage to lose a horse!"

* * *

Laying in her own bed, staring up at the ceiling while the radio played old country music at a considerable low volume. The cut on her head needed four stitches, but was healing rather nicely. The stitches could come out in another few days, and so could the stiff white bandage that covered the wound. Tegan was getting bored here. Only a week after the accident, so she would still be confined to her room for 'necessary bedrest.' The radio, the television in the living room and the car magazines scattered around the house were her only company.

Luke had to go back to work, and he went, reluctantly, after Tegan insisted that she would be alright on her own. He worked at the Tri-County fire department, but business was usually slow and nothing much happened. If he left work early, he'd either go help out at Cooter's garage - the cars got fixed faster with two people working, of course - or he'd go back to the house to check in on Tegan. She was starting to remember things. Pretty soon someone would have to tell her about Jillian, because she still had no clue.

* * *

"I looked all over town, Danny. Ain't no horse around here!"

"Keep lookin', Greg! This is the only county we stopped at where it coulda got away!"

"Ain't ya gonna help me?"

"You lost it, you find it!" Danny grumbled, walking back to the trailer from the front of the old barn. "And make it quick, someone's gonna notice that this chunk of land is bein' used when no-one's supposed to be usin' it."

Greg sighed heavily and shook his head, opening the back of the trailer and stepping in. He returned again with a horse in tow. It followed, oblivious to the predicament the two men where in. Greg led the mare into a barn, putting it into and old stall. The place hadn't been touched in years, the farm's previous owners having moved to Atlanta about five years before. Greg repeated the process with two other horses, one still missing.

"This ain't gonna be as quick as ya think." he said, approaching his boss once he was done moving the animals. "If we go askin' everyone in town if theys seen a horse, someone's gonna catch on."

"What do you propose we do?" Danny snapped.

Greg shrugged. "Don't know, but if someone here finds a horse lookin' like that one. We're gonna hear about it real soon."

_**Review, please? I would love to know what you think about the story and how I can improve. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Dukes of Hazzard or any of its characters.  
AN: I know that this isn't the best of stories, but it is one of my first, so there will be mistakes.**_

_**Thank you, LukasKristopherDuke for your review! I'll definitely be doing that for the next few chapters.**_

Memories started to return to Tegan sooner than she thought they would. Within days of the accident, she had vaguely begun to remember her closer family members. That is, the ones that she was able to see every day.  
She didn't seem to remember Luke and Daisy's cousin, Bo, very well. Or Sarah and Eli, Bo's wife and son. They lived out of town and visited for a few weeks out of every year, usually in the summer. Tegan would get to see them soon, though. Their next visit would be a permanent one, for they decided to return to Hazzard for good.  
One thing that really bothered Tegan was that she could not, no matter how much she tried, remember her own mother. There were a few photographs in the house, but those did nothing to help.  
No one had told her anything about her, so she figured that they thought she knew, or remembered why her mother wasn't there and why she couldn't remember.  
And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she might dread the reason. It could be anything, she thought. So she decided to not ask at all.  
Staying home during the day left her a lot of time to sit and think, to try and figure things out. So she decided to look through some of her old stuff to see if she could find answers to any one of the questions racing through her mind.

She opened her closet and pulled down the few boxes that had been sitting on the shelf above the clothes rack, brushing dust off the tops and setting them down on the bed.  
She sat down behind them and opened the first, pulling out a book and small stack of papers and photos. Most of them were of herself when she was smaller, or of family members. She set them aside after looking through them and opened the book.  
In messy handwriting, like that of a child, MY DIARY was scrawled across the front page. The first few entries were almost illegible, most weeks apart.  
Now I know that I wasn't good at keeping journals, she thought, reading through a few and smiling at some of the things her younger self had written. (Not to mention the atrocious grammar and spelling.) She stopped flipping through the pages when she came across an entry titled 'Mother's Day'. Right there she thought about closing the book and putting it away, once again thinking that she wouldn't like what was written. She looked anyway, at first having difficulty figuring out what was written.

_For Mother's Day,_

_Yesterday was Mother's Day and we made cards in school. I didn't know what to do, and Mrs. James asked me what was wrong. I told her I don't have a mommy._

So even way back then she didn't have a mother.

_I told her my momma died when I was a baby, but I didn't know how. She told me I could still make a card because momma loves me even though she isn't here. I did make one, and I brought it home and put it on my dresser. Daddy asked about it and he thought it was a good idea too._

Tegan didn't read the rest. She set the book aside and sifted through the paper stack, locating a piece of faded pink construction paper with flowers scribbled on the front in red, blue and green crayon.

_Dear Momma,  
I don't know if you can really read this from heaven, but I just want you to know that I love you even though I never met you.  
Happy Mother's Day!_

_Love,  
Hannah Tegan Duke_

Tegan smiled and laid the card down on the night table, moving the book into the drawer under it along with the photos that had been in the box. She put the rest back into the closet and went outside for a walk.  
If there was one thing she knew about living out here, it was that she loved the peace and quiet.  
Around the back of the property, a small creek crossed under the fence and back out on the other side. The area was thoroughly shaded and fairly quiet, save for the gently running water.  
The fence needed a good fixing, she noticed. Part of the boards were broken, animal prints embedded in the mud beside the water. They weren't dog or cat like, but too large to be deer prints; from where she stood, she could see all the way down the fence to the edge of the property. Near the edge, she spotted a horse, silently grazing under a tree.

She approached carefully to get a closer look, noticing how young the stallion actually looked. It was dark bay with light brown and white dapple markings spotted all over its back, withers and rump. When Tegan stepped closer, the horse's head snapped up, glancing her direction. Pale blue eyes met sapphire. Tegan got closer, careful not to startle the animal, and patted his neck.  
He initially tried to back away, but stepped toward her again when she spoke softly and backed away herself. She didn't want to give him anything to fear.  
"You're real sweet, ain't ya?"  
He looked well taken care of, though, like he hadn't been fed properly for a few days. He had no tack or brand, nothing to identify as being owned by someone.  
She sat down on the root of a tree whilst the horse continued to graze, watching him carefully. Every now and then, for the next half hour, the animal would occasionally glance up at her before going back to his grazing. Tegan eventually got closer to the animal, eventually going back to the house to retrieve an apple and some carrots from the kitchen.  
"I've got someplace for you to stay until we can find your owners." Tegan said softly, holding the apple out to the stallion and leading him back to the yard.  
On the other side of it, near the garage, there was an old barn. It currently served as extra storage and a place for the truck, since the garage was reserved for the General Lee.  
She closed the barn doors so the horse wouldn't wander off and quickly cleaned out an old stall for it to be put in. About an hour later, Luke returned.  
"Dad! I…there's something I have to tell you…"  
Luke wondered what it could be. Tegan hadn't really wanted to talk much for the last couple of days, probably trying to remember anything she couldn't.  
"I found something by the creek earlier…something pretty big. It's a horse."  
"A horse?"  
"Yeah, but he didn't have any tack or a brand, and he doesn't look like a horse I've seen around here before." She paused, realizing what she had just said. _It doesn't look like a horse I've seen around here before. _She _hadn't _seen it around Hazzard before, and now she knew that perfectly well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dukes of Hazzard or any of its characters.  
AN: Look at that! Two chapters in one day! Really, it's only because I already had this one done.**

**LukasKristopherDuke: You got it right!**

"We can go into town tomorrow to see if anyone's missin' that horse. We'll keep it…"  
"Him."  
"Him…here until someone claims him."  
"What if no one does?"  
"Don't go looking into this too much. Just don't get your hopes up."  
"But you're saying that there _is _a possibility that we can keep him?"  
"….Yes."

* * *

Sitting at a small table in the back of the Boar's Nest were two people up to no good.

"Still ain't heard nothin'?" Danny asked gruffly, glancing around the diner/bar cautiously. Greg shook his head. "If that horse got away, then he got pretty far. I wouldn't be surprised if it lost itself in the woods or somethin'."

"You better hope we can find it, Greg. If we don't, then Davis ain't gonna pay us."

"I know." Greg said back. "We'd of gotten those horses for nothing. That's a twenty thousand loss."

"I heard that deputy talkin' to the waitress over there," he continued. "The police are still investigating that wreck."

"Ain't no-one ever paid much attention to a hit n' run. Especially not here. The sheriff here is notorious for not doin' his job right."

"Word is a little girl was killed when the car went off the road. The other passenger hit their head on the window and can't remember nothin'."

Danny wanted to hit something, or someone, but he couldn't draw attention.

"Don't worry about that right now! When we get the horse back, _then _we can worry about who saw us with that trailer."

* * *

Eli Duke, ten years old, was more than just happy to be returning to Hazzard. He was ecstatic. While his parents owned land here, and they would visit as often as possible, he never liked having to leave. You see, his dad, Bo, is a racer. The family couldn't exactly stay in Hazzard all the time, everything else was too far away!

Eli's parents were considering a permanent move back to Hazzard County, mainly to be close to family. Besides, Uncle Jesse wasn't getting any younger, and what little help he had on the farm soon wouldn't be enough.

The sudden decision to pack up and visit the farm wasn't exactly something Eli understood, though. Sarah seemed upset, a little scared even, when she got home that afternoon and announced that they needed to go to Hazzard. The entire, several hours long, drive was almost completely silent, so Eli watching his parents from the backseat, wondering what could have them so quiet. From the stories that their relatives would tell him, Bo was never the quiet type.

In town, Bo went to the county garage to talk to his cousin, who happened to be there working today, while Sarah took Eli with her to run a few errands.

Outside the grocery store, she handed the bags to Eli and went to the nearest payphone.

When she hung up, she knelt down in front of Eli. "You need to know what we're about to walk into, Eli." She said, softly.

"Last week, Tegan was returning from a trip with her best friend when another car hit them..."

"Are they okay?" Eli asked, concerned for his older cousin's wellbeing.

Sarah sighed. "Tegan is fine." She didn't dare mention Tegan's friend. That wouldn't be good for Eli to hear. "She bumped her head, Eli. She probably won't remember you. Now, that was Daisy I just talked to, and she said that Tegan's memories are finally starting to come around, so I don't want you to worry much, okay?"

Eli nodded and followed Sarah back to the car.

* * *

They didn't understand what it was like to not know anything. To not know if what you know is all you know, or if you're forgetting something. She hated the way they looked at her, like she was something to be pitied. When she forgot a face or a name, they spoke softly and slowly to her, like she was a child. She knew that she hated that. She knew that every time she saw a face that was supposed to be familiar, something new came to mind. A new old memory. They always came back in pieces though, and the doctor kept saying that it would be like that for a while. It wasn't bad and didn't require treatment. All she needed was to spend time around people and places that would be more likely to trigger old memories.

It was the middle of summer, which left her with almost nothing to do. At least, not that she remembered. So she spent a lot of time at the farm, doing menial work to keep her mind occupied. When she wasn't there, she was in town.

Sometimes she would walk across the square to the station to talk to Enos, simply because she did remember one thing for sure, life around station was always dismal. Quiet and rarely had much to bother with.

She preferred the cool air conditioning to the blazing summer heat outside, and enjoyed keeping Flash company, laughing and telling Rosco that he could actually do his job now that someone else focused on the hound.

Sometimes she just needed to get away from everyone. Everyone constantly treating her like a child and thinking that she'll never remember. 'It shouldn't last long', she thought, repeating the mantra once again.

"Dad?" Tegan asked, padding into the garage while Luke looked at something under the hood of the General. Tegan should probably know _what _it was he was looking at, but she didn't want to bother trying to figure that out right now. She had something else on her mind.  
Earlier, she decided that she would ask about her mother. She already knew that she was dead, probably while Tegan was still an infant, but that didn't stop her from wanting to know _how_ it happened.  
"Whatcha need?" Luke asked, still focused on the vehicle's engine.  
Tegan held her arm out in front of her, clutching a photo of her mother that she found in the box with the diary. A beautiful dark haired, green eyed woman, probably five months along, smiling at the camera like there wasn't a worry in the world.  
"It's about…my mother. What happened? I don't remember."  
Luke sighed, demeanor changing instantly. He looked up. "That's because you were just born when it happened."  
"How did it happen?" Tegan asked.  
"Postpartum hemorrhage."  
"What's that mean?"  
"You don't need to worry about that…"  
"I can always find out another way, ya know. I can tell it's somethin' bad."  
"Bleeding. And a lot of it." Luke sighed, downcast. "Tri-county hospital didn't have the proper equipment and air lift was takin' too long."  
"She bled to death?" Tegan whispered. "Because of me?"  
"No, don't think that. It was a freak accident that happened at the wrong time."  
Tegan shook her head, unwilling to believe it, and walked away. Luke cursed under his breath. He should have known that she would start asking questions, specifically about that, and he knew he should have been prepared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dukes of Hazzard or any of its characters.  
**

Sitting under a tree in the field, watching the stallion graze, Tegan's thoughts wandered. After talking with her dad, she decided that it wasn't right to dwell on the past, especially one that she couldn't remember. But something else haunted her now.  
When it was quiet, and even when she played a record to drown out other sounds, she could still hear a sickening crash. The sound of metal colliding with metal and glass shattering.  
The feeling of warm blood trailing down the side of her head and face.  
She reached up and pressed a hand gently to the white bandage on her head, ignoring the slight sting that her own touch induced.  
That was the very reason she couldn't remember. And at this point she didn't even have half the heart to try. What was the point of trying, really?  
All it left her with was horrible memories and poignant feelings of helplessness and emptiness that would never go away. No one had been apprehended, because no one remembered who hit the car in the first place. Her very best friend was gone – dead – and wasn't going to be returning.  
Her own mother, killed by a birth that happened three weeks too early.  
Sensing that something was wrong, the horse trotted over to where Tegan sat and lowered his head, nuzzling her gently.  
"Ya still need a name." Tegan said aloud, patting the horse's neck. "I'll think of something."

* * *

Tegan wanted to stay home today. Sitting on her bed with a couple of magazines laid out in front of her, she bobbed her head to the music playing over the radio. The TV in the living room was turned down, but turned on; she didn't like the house to be too quiet, it felt too weird.

Hearing a door slam outside, she figured that either Luke was home early, or Daisy was stopping by to check on her. Not that I really need it, she thought, going to the front to look through the window. Poking back the shades, she eyed the car in the driveway suspiciously. She didn't recognize it, nor the person that got out of the driver's side.

He walked up to the porch, and Tegan went to the door, but the person on the other side didn't knock or ring the bell. He just tried to open the door.

Strangers aren't supposed to do that, Tegan thought, backing away from the front room. She went into the kitchen and hid around the corner, barely sticking her head through the doorway to see the window.

* * *

"The people 'round here are idiots." Greg said, shutting the truck off and walking up to the old farm house's front porch.

"That wreck is the talk of the town, now."

"Yeah? Find anything else?"

"I got the name of the kid that survived. Tegan Duke or somethin' like that."

"You just say Duke?" Danny asked, demeanor changing suddenly to alarm.

"Yeah, why?"

Danny knew who the Dukes were. He'd lived in the Tri-County area before, which is why he knew it so well. Where to hide out and where to go to hear the town gossip. Everyone knew the Dukes here.

"Cos I know about them Dukes. Got away with everything; could bend the law almost any way they wanted."

* * *

Tegan waited for something else to happen, but instead of the person simply going away or trying to break in, even, the lock clicked and the door creaked open and shut again.

"Anyone home?" The man called, dropping a set of keys on the inn table by the door. Should I know that voice, Tegan thought. She walked around the corner into the hallway. She could defend herself if she needed to.

"Didn't know ya were goin' to be here, Tegan."

Tegan didn't reply. Here eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the mention of her name.

"Right, ya probably don't remember, huh? I'm Bo. Your dad's cousin."

"Dad mentioned you."

"Just mentioned, huh?"

"There's been quite a bit goin' on 'round here, actually." Tegan said, pointedly, crossing her arms.

"Sorry that we couldn't come sooner..."

"We?"

"Sarah and Eli?" Bo sighed heavily. "You'll get to see 'em tonight."

Tegan nodded. She barely remembered Bo. The more she thought about it though, the more images of the General Lee came to mind, and fragments of stories that Daisy used to tell her when she was little. She smiled, knowing and being glad that her memories no longer betrayed her and that she was finally starting to remember.

Bo looked out the window at the aforementioned race car, which sat perfectly cared for under the carport by the garage.

"Luke didn't leave the key to the General, did he?"

* * *

Tegan looked around uncomfortably, eyes darting around the room, searching for a saving grace. Any saving grace. Eli, her little cousin, whom she felt she'd just met, would not stop asking questions that she couldn't answer.

"Come on now, Eli. Leave her alone." Sarah scolded her son from across the table. Tegan smiled thankfully to her.

The evening was lively, to say the least. The reunited cousins, (Daisy, Bo and Luke that is) recounted past adventures and filled each other in on their current lives. Tegan preferred to listen to them, but Eli insisted on trying to get her to remember anything and everything that he talked about. After dinner, Tegan hurriedly ran outside to the barn, slipping inside before Eli could follow her out. Phoenix, as she had named the horse, neighed softly, stamping a hoof on the stall floor when he spotted her at the entryway. She ran a hand over his coat, softly, and took a handful of baby carrots out of her pocket to feed to him. Eli pushed the barn door open a few inches and poked his head inside.

He was surprised to see a horse standing in the stall, eating baby carrots from his cousin's hand; They didn't keep horses. The only animal that was ever kept on that land was a dog.

"When'd we get a horse?" he asked, startling Tegan. She allowed Phoenix the last of the carrots and brushed her hands off onto her jeans.

"We didn't."

"Ya know what I mean."

"I found 'im by the creak. Dad's lettin' me keep 'im here until the owner comes lookin'."

"Ya don't seem like ya want to give 'im up." Eli observed, watching Tegan reach above the stallion's head to scratch behind his ears.

"I don't know." She sighed. "Somethin' just don't seem right about al l this. Horses this pretty don't just turn up missin' without someone reportin' it."

"Ya gonna come by here tomorrow?" Eli asked, walking over to the stall and reaching up to pet the horse.

"I ain't got much of a choice, now do I?"

"Guess not. I can come by to help ya take care of 'im if ya need me to."

Tegan nodded. "I wanted to saddle up tomorrow and see how he rides."

"You sure about that?" Eli asked, apprehensively. "He could throw you."

"I'll be fine, don't worry."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dukes of Hazzard or any of its characters.**

**AN: My week has been pretty busy, so from now on updates will probably only come along on weekends.**

The next day, Eli came over early to help Tegan with Phoenix. He was glad he did, too. The horse was extremely reluctant to be tacked. He reared up several times and the two cousins almost gave up.

"Bring him out to the field." Eli suggested. "Maybe he'll calm down out there."

Tegan nodded and opened the stall door, allowing Phoenix to step out and follow her outside and through the gate. Eli carried the tack out and laid it across the fence.

"He must be younger than I thought if he hasn't been ridden yet. Maybe between two and four." Tegan said aloud, grabbing the bridle and reins. She held them up, but Phoenix pulled his head back.

"It's okay, boy. It ain't gonna hurt ya." Tegan whispered soothingly. The horse still resisted, so she draped the bridle over her shoulders like a necklace.

"See?"

She removed them and tried to place them on Phoenix's head. He still displayed signs of discomfort, but allowed her to do so without resisting.

Eli draped the saddle pad over the horse's back, patting his shoulders comfortingly. Tegan carefully placed the saddle and adjusted the strap so it fit properly.

Phoenix fidgeted, but stayed put, chewing on the reins. Using the fence post to help climb up into the saddle, Tegan placed her left foot in the stirrup and grabbed the horn, climbing onto his back.

They sat for a while, allowing Phoenix to adjust. After a while, she urged him forward. For a couple of days onward, she would only ride for a few minutes, adding a few every day.

He was progressing faster than she thought he would.

At the end of the week, on Saturday, Phoenix trotted along the perimeter of the fence, carrying Tegan.

"He hasn't thrown you so far!" Eli yelled from across the field. Tegan smiled.

"Told ya I'd be fine!"

Suddenly, Phoenix halted. What's goin' on, Tegan thought, waiting for the animal's next action. He took a few more steps back...

* * *

"Someone round town had been askin' about that horse." Greg pointed out, shutting the barn doors and walking over to the truck where Danny was waiting.

"Askin' as in lookin' for it?"

"No, askin' as in found it. Wanna know if someone round here lost it."

"I knew it couldn't have gotten far." Danny said, grinning.

"Thing is though," Greg said. "The police are involved now."

"I know this place. Those dumbasses can't do their job right. We'll be gettin' that horse back first."

"How can ya be so sure?"

"Cos if we don't, Davis ain't gonna buy any of 'em."

* * *

"What's goin' on?" Eli asked, approaching the two. Suddenly, Phoenix reared, nearly throwing Tegan, then took off toward the other end of the field. Tegan closed her eyes, preparing herself for Phoenix's inevitable crashing into the fence, but it never happened. He jumped over and took off into the woods behind the property, running through the creek, water splashing up onto Tegan's jeans. She gripped the reins tighter, pulling back, but he wouldn't stop. Now terrified, she leaned forward, clinging to the horse for dear life.

When he finally slowed, Tegan looked up and saw a break in the trees, an old, abandoned looking farmhouse and barn on the other side. There was a small horse trailer unhitched next to the barn doors, but no vehicle or person in site.

Phoenix softly neighed, stamping his hoof. Tegan shakily slid off the saddle and approached the fence, looking toward the barn curiously. She heard something inside.

Too curious for her own good, Tegan left Phoenix standing there and climbed over the fence and ran toward the barn. The windows were busted out on both buildings, the wood rotted and uncared for. The lawn was overgrown and driveway cracked all over the place.

She slid the barn door open, slipping inside, surprised to find three other horses in the stalls. If this place is abandoned, then why are there horses here?

A vehicle approached, slowing down just outside. Tegan ran to the back of the barn, where a stool sat under a knocked out window and began to climb through.

_"When we find out who has the horse, we can find out where they have it. Go in the middle of the night, snatch it, and split town before anyone finds out."_

_"What if that don't work, Danny?"_

_"How much simpler can it get?"_

_"I'm just sayin'. We gotta be prepared!"_

_"If someone gets in the way, we take care of 'em."_

And suddenly, Tegan was filled with overwhelming sense of dread. Had this been how Phoenix got here? This sounded like something out of a cheesy book. Were these guys rustlers? Were those horses stolen?

As soon as she heard a door slam, probably to the house, she made a run for it. She wasted no time practically jumping back up into the saddle, urging Phoenix to run back.

Did he bring me there just so I'd find that?

* * *

"I've got an old 'friend' here that might be able to help us out here." Danny said, stopping the truck outside the courthouse/police station. Greg looked at the building uncomfortably.

Danny, of all people, would know how corrupt Hazzard County's law system was, having lived a fair few years in the neighboring county, Sweetwater. J.D. Hogg, county commissioner, was as bribe-able as they came. The town sheriff being one of the most corrupt he'd come across in his short life so far. They both worked for their own benefit.

Greg was cautious about what they did and who saw them, seeing every moment that they were out in public as a risk of being caught. But Danny was confident. Too confident. He strode into the police station with his nose in the air and money on the brain.

"Can I help you , Gentlemen?" The deputy, Enos Strate, asked when the pair entered.

"Names' Danny King, I'm lookin' to talk to Boss Hogg."

Greg was surrounded by an air of uncertainty, and Enos noticed right away. He nodded and went upstairs.

"Uh, Sheriff?"

"What is it, Enos, I'm busy!"

"Someone by the name of Danny King is here to see Boss."

From Boss' office across the room, J.D. demanded that the visitor be sent up to his office. Danny was standing in the doorway minutes later, smiling broadly. Greg stood behind him, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the vicinity.

"I never thought you'd show your face around here again, King."

"I know we parted on bad terms, J.D., but I've got a proposition that may very well fix that." Danny said, faking a pleasant tone.

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"You see, my colleague and I were transportin' four prize horses to a buyer outside of Atlanta, when one of 'em managed to unhook the latch on the trailer,"

"Smart horse."

"Yes, I know. All four horses together are worth twenty thousand dollars, but only three and we get nothing. If you can help us out here, I'd be grateful."

"What's in it for me?" Boss asked impatiently.

"Well, if ya can find it, I'll reward seven thousand of the twenty we're gettin' from the sale."

"Ten."

"Seven, or I take my business elsewhere."

"Deal."

"We heard around town that someone found it. A bay horse, dapple markings, male."

"The Dukes have that horse!" Boss said, smiling broadly. All the work was already done for him. "They've been tryin' to find out who it belongs to for weeks!"

"This is gonna be easier than I thought." Greg said as the pair left the office.

"Especially if that Duke kid still doesn't remember nothin'."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dukes of Hazzard or any of its characters.  
AN: I know I promised updates on weekends, but I was at the races all day Saturday and had a pretty bad headache most of Sunday. Good news is, there will probably be multiple updates this week!**

* * *

Upon their re-arrival at the house, Tegan slid off Phoenix's saddle and ran to the nearest vehicle parked in the driveway. Eli followed her, immediately noticing the urgency and fear. "What's goin' on?" he asked.  
"I just saw something kinda important." Tegan replied, grabbing the CB, but dropped it in seconds, like it was poison. _They could be listening,_ she thought, running inside the house and picking up the phone. Calling Luke first, she carefully explained what happened and what she heard. Eli ran back outside, not thinking twice about hiding the horse when he heard everything his older cousin had said about the rustlers.  
_"I'll be there soon."  
_"You don't think they actually know where he's at, do you?"  
_"Hopefully not. Someone around town might've told them that we've been lookin' for whoever this horse belongs to, thought. Be careful."  
_After hanging up the phone, Tegan leaned against the wall and sighed. He was right. There was a very strong possibility that someone else around town might've told those rustlers about them finding a lost horse and looking for its owner.  
Eli came back in. "He's back in the barn, but he ain't happy. Think he knows somethin' is wrong?"  
"Of course he does!" Tegan said. "Otherwise he wouldn't have run away from them, or have been able to show me the other horses."  
"What did Luke say?"  
"Well, first off, he's on his way back now. Second, he thinks someone in town might, if they haven't already, told the rustlers that we have Phoenix."  
"We don't know what these guys look like." Eli pointed out. "They could be any of the people you've already asked the horse about."  
"Will you stop it? I'm freaking out enough as it is!"  
The phone rang. The cousins glanced at each other, and Tegan finally picked up the phone.  
"Hello."  
_"This is J.D. Hogg, I'm lookin' to speak to any one of the Dukes?"  
_"Tegan Duke here. What's goin' on, Boss?"  
_"I've got good news for ya! I've found that horse's owner, they should be by soon to pick it up."  
_Tegan almost dropped the phone, holding it away from her ear and covering the mouthpiece with her hand, she looked at Eli. Eyes widened and hand trembling, she finally spoke. "Things just got a lot worse!"  
Eli stepped closer to listen.  
"Really? Who is it?" Tegan finally asked, trying not to sound too scared.  
_"Guy named Danny King. Sells prize horses..."  
_"Boss, I don't think he really owns the horse! Earlier I heard two guys talkin' about takin' a horse they lost."  
_"Leave it alone, you Dukes overreact to everything!"  
_Annoyed, Tegan slammed the phone onto the receiver, cutting the conversation short. She went to the front of the house when she heard a car outside, initially thinking it was her father. Instead of him, though, there was an unfamiliar truck parked in the drive.  
Someone got out of the driver's side, followed by the passenger, and they both approached the porch. The older of the two smirked and whispered something to his colleague, but neither cousin could hear it.  
"Excuse me, are either of you one of the Dukes?"  
"Depends on who you are?" Tegan snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at the two. She easily recognized his voice and sincerely hoped that she could convince him there was no horse.  
"Daniel King. This here is Greg Thomas, we're horse dealers."  
"Bloodstock agents or pinhookers?" Eli asked. Danny and Greg glanced at each other, absolutely sure that the boy was onto something. _There's actually a name for it_, Danny thought. He just stole 'em and sold 'em to the highest bidder.  
"Can we speak to an adult, please?"  
"Either you leave and come back later," Tegan started. "Or you settle with talking to me. What do ya want?"  
"You see, about two weeks ago, a horse we were transportin' to a client got away from us. We heard around town that it may have turned up here."  
"There ain't a horse here."  
"We heard from a very reliable source that it was here."  
_Reliable source, please. Since when was Boss Hogg a reliable source for much of anything? _Tegan thought. _But he does know for sure that we have Phoenix, so I guess that counts as one thing.  
_"The horse that was here got picked up this morning by it's owner. I thought you might've known that since you were the one movin' it. Unless we're talkin' about two different horses here."  
"Sorry to bother you then." Danny said, irritated, and going back to the truck.

* * *

"King, you'd better have that damn horse!"

"I know where it is, Davis, but I'm having a little trouble gettin' to it."

"What kind of trouble?"

"A wreck, two weeks ago. One of the survivors found the horse before we did."

"That when it ran off?"

"Opened the latch when Greg stopped the truck."

"I knew I couldn't trust you."

The line went dead and Danny sighed. He put the phone up and exited the booth, seething. That Duke kid just cost him twenty thousand dollars. If he couldn't have the money, then Davis wasn't getting the horses.

* * *

"You mean to tell me," Boss started, disbelieving, "That those two business men who came in her a few days ago are actually thieves?"

"Don't act so surprised, Boss. It ain't like you haven't done business with criminals before."

"Your words wound me."

"Boss," Tegan interjected. "Those two men killed my best friend in a hit and run, and they stole that horse! You're really gonna let them get away with it?"

"They's probably long gone by now..."

"They will be if ya don't get off your ass and do something about it! This ain't some everyday shuck n' jive!"

"Alright, alright! They'll be in a cell before the day is over, just get out of my office."

Tegan stormed out, exasperated with Boss' uncaring attitude. She knew that the old man really only cared for himself and his personal gain, but this..._this _was a new low. He didn't seem to care that the men who basically murdered someone were about to get off scott free. Tegan silently wondered if he'd been involved in any of their horse theft business. Past or present.  
After making sure that at _least _Enos would follow up on the report, and as fast as possible (Rosco seemed genuinely concerned, but Boss claimed that the sheriff was needed elsewhere), Luke and Tegan hurried back out of town, to the farm.  
Eli and Tegan went straight into the barn where Phoenix was waiting.  
"What's the plan?"  
"I'll tack 'im up and take 'im somewhere else."  
Eli's attention was drawn to the window, where he stated cautiously at something outside. A truck turning in the driveway.  
The bridle and reigns were securely strapped to Phoenix, but that wasn't it.  
"Crap..."  
"What is it?"  
"They're back. They must've been in town when ya'll were...saw ya leavin' the courthouse. You don't have enough time to strap the breastplate and saddle on him, can ya ride bareback?"  
"Probably not, but do I really have a choice?"  
Phoenix snorted, nudging Tegan's arm with his head, affectionately. Eli slipped back out of the barn, running up to the porch. Tegan stayed close to Phoenix's stall, watching through the window nearest the door. They even look like they're up to no good, she thought watching them. The older looking one, who appeared to be in charge, was tall and gruff looking. He wore a hat and thick sunglasses, a grey suite and polished shoes. The other one looked more like the one who actually did the work. He was younger, looking around in every direction like he expected someone to jump out and slap cuffs on him.  
Sarah greeted them outside, fully aware of who they were but keeping quiet for Tegan and Eli's sake.  
"Unless they go inside, then there's no way we're gettin' Phoenix out of here."  
They waited in silence for a few minutes before Eli finally ran to the front of the barn, throwing the doors open. Tegan had tried to finish tacking Phoenix, the saddle lay at her feet and the breastplate haphazardly thrown on top of it. She used the brace on the stall wall to climb on his back.  
"Mom just let them inside. Go, go now!"  
They didn't need any further persuasion; Phoenix bolted, running as fast as his legs could carry himself and his rider.  
As they rounded a corner, King and Thomas stormed out of the house. "They had the damned thing all along."  
Sarah followed, standing in the doorway with a smirk plastered across her face. The two 'horse dealers' jumped into their truck and drove after the horse and rider.  
Bo and Luke went after them in the General, radioing Enos, who was standing by up the road, waiting for the criminals to show. Eli stayed back, wishing his older cousin the best.  
Phoenix was faster than he'd been in the last week, like he knew the impending trouble. Tegan riding bareback wasn't the most comfortable thing for either of them, but judging by the fast approaching pickup truck, there was no turning back. Easing off the road, Phoenix turned off into an empty field, Tegan hoping that their pursuers wouldn't follow that way. The truck turned sharply, the front bumper colliding with the lower ground. It slowed, Danny having difficulty spotting the horse in the tall, unkempt grass.

Phoenix and Tegan emerged on the other side, pressing on toward into the trees. Tegan looked back, relieved when she saw the truck stopped at the tree line.

Her joy was short lived, however. One of the two pulled a gun from a holster hidden under his jacket and began to fire aimlessly at them. One bullet embedded itself in the bark of a tree ahead of them, another one whizzed right past their heads. Tegan flattened herself against Phoenix's back and drew her legs tighter against his sides, gripping the reins until her knuckles were white and her fingernails cut into the palms of her hands. The gun fired one more time, the bullet snapping the reins when it struck the leather strap.

Tegan's hands flew up to Phoenix's mane, grabbing handfuls of hair and holding on tight. She turned her head ever so slightly, just enough to look over her shoulder. The truck and the men were nothing more than specs in the distance.

Phoenix's pace slowed to a stop, and Tegan jumped off his back, patting his shoulder and collapsing under a tree. They were no doubt following her, and they would look everywhere if they had to. Looking around once more to make sure they were no where in sight, Tegan stood up and led Phoenix further into the woods, hoping to come around back to the farm.

They had already been there and would probably think that she wouldn't go back.

* * *

**Review, please! :)  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dukes of Hazzard or any of its characters.**

**AN: Another update, yay! I had to go back to chapter 2 and change a few things after realizing that I hadn't proofread it thoroughly enough.**

* * *

Going out to the road was certainly a risk, but wandering aimlessly through the woods wouldn't get them anywhere. Even under the shade, the summer heat was becoming intolerable. A light breeze drifted through the trees, carrying cool air with it.

Some trouble, Tegan thought. You must be really special for all this.

Looking up, she spotted the dusty dirt road a few yards ahead, but parked on the side, near the trees, was a very familiar rusty truck. Cursing under her breath, she backed up and Phoenix did the same.

Should've turned around a while ago.

"Hey!"

Tegan reeled around when she heard the yell, spotting one of the rustlers a few yards off. It was the quiet one - Greg Thomas - and sprinted toward her with a fishing knife in his right hand. Phoenix reared up andr neighed loudly, stomping toward the skiddish young man and chasing him back further into the woods.

Tegan sighed and looked around, wondering where the other one was. There was no one near the road and no one in the truck...she listened carefully to the sound of leaves crunching and a few twigs snapping and the sound of hoofbeats growing louder as Phoenix got closer.

"You have somethin' of mine."

Tegan spun on her heel, making direct eye contact with one of the thugs that had been chasing her earlier. He had a gun gripped in his hand.

Phoenix was trotting back in their direction, Thomas no where in sight. He stopped when he saw the thief practically hovering over Tegan, and watched the pair.

"I don't think he really is." Tegan said, tone defiant and daring. "Ya took him from someone."

He raised the gun, finger resting below the trigger. Threat looming, Tegan backed away.

"If you'd hand that horse over, I'll leave you and this backwater county behind forever." Tegan shook her head, standing up for what she thought the right decision.

"All this trouble over a horse?" She asked.

"Shoot me and take 'im, fine, but you ain't gonna make it out of Hazzard. You killed someone, remember? They'll find you, and you'll just get more time if you kill me."

She walked forward, stopping and glaring up at him. He lowered his weapon, hesitant now. He looked around, suddenly wondering if he'd been followed, and Tegan took the opportunity to pick up a branch and swing it toward Danny. It broke upon connecting with the man's side, and he dropped the gun, stumbling backward and tripping over a root.

Tegan smirked and jumped onto Phoenix's back, riding away.

Danny grabbed the gun from the ground and clumsily ran after them.

At the truck, Danny swung the door and slammed it shut once he was inside, turning the key in the ignition he floored it.

Heart pounding in her chest, Tegan clung to the horse tighter than before, hoping that Phoenix's speed wouldn't fail her now.

"Time me, Eli! I want to see how fast he can go."

"Ya sure about that? You've only ridden a couple of times..."

"It won't be that far, okay? This field is just over a quarter of a mile, from end to end."

After tacking the horse and climbing into the saddle, Tegan cued him to back up and stop near the fence. She handed Eli her watch.

"Ready...set...go!"

The horse bolted, reaching the other end of the field faster than either cousin expected.

When Tegan got back, she let the horse trot off to graze.

"So?"

"19.3 seconds. That's pretty fast."

She urged Phoenix to run faster, smiling when she looked back and saw Thomas stumble out onto the road, clutching his arm like it was broken. The truck sped past them, skidding to a stop up the road. Phoenix did so as well, and Tegan looked around for another route. They could go back the other way, but that led out of Hazzard and away from the house.

Danny sat in the truck and waited, watching another vehicle approach from the other end of the road toward them, abruptly stopping in front of the startled horse. At first Tegan thought it only a passer-by, surprised by the appearance of a fleeing horse and rider in the middle of the road. The driver exited the car, a middle aged man with an expression hinting anger, and raised a gun, firing at the truck that was only yards away. Not expecting this, Danny ducked behind the dashboard. Tegan instinctively ducked and Phoenix backed away, but felt cornered, as every road was blocked now. The first, the direction they had come from blocked by King, the second blocked by the strangers car.

A bullet pinged against the truck, leaving a small round hole in the metal. Inside, Danny ducked in the driver's seat, no longer visible through the windshield. When the firing ceased, he pushed open the door and began firing back at the stranger. Tegan ducked again when King fired, angrily throwing the pistol down as it was out of bullets.

Tires screeched and something smashed; Tegan looked back toward the stranger's car, the sheriff's patrol car had run into it. The sudden loud sound startled Phoenix and he bolted forward, running past the car and its confused driver (who was now in cuffs), running along side the road. He was getting tired of running, and his rider was obviously tired of riding, scared that something would happen. Tegan looked back, seeing the stranger put into the back of the patrol car while King tried to sneak off. While Rosco named the charges and read the stranger his rights, King climbed back into his truck, shutting the door as quietly as possible and starting the engine.

Phoenix slowed, exhaustion catching up to him, but he still pressed on. Tegan didn't bother watching how fast the truck was catching up, or how far behind Rosco was since he hadn't been paying enough attention to see King sneaking away.

There's gotta be something wrong with him! He doesn't honestly think he's gonna get away from this, does he?

She saw a flash of orange, the General, followed by another patrol car; hearing screeching tires and yelling, and finally, the resounding bang of a gun being fired.

There were sirens...somewhere close, muffled and growing quieter.

Searing pain tore through her shoulder, the murky water surrounding her being clouded by blood. She realized that she was sinking and kicked against the shallow bottom, attempting to swim to the surface. Another wave of pain hit her when she tried to move her right arm, and she only sunk down again. She was surprised to find herself being lifted and pulled toward the edge of the water. Still slightly under, she clutched her shoulder to stem the bleeding and looked around, raising her head above the water briefly to catch her breath. She was dropped a few inches and she realized what was carrying her.

Phoenix had snagged her shirt collar in his mouth, attempting to drag her to the water's edge himself. Two hands grabbed her and helped her to her feet when the water was shallow enough, Tegan's feet touched the muddy bottom and she pulled away from the horse, laying down on the rocky bank. Her attention turned toward the road when she heard yelling. Davis was cuffed and on leaning against a patrol car, another parked beside it, blocking the road. On the other side, Thomas was cuffed as well, watching the next events unfold. King was trying to run away, effectively evading both Enos and Rosco, who had to abandon the other two criminals to try and block his path. He ran past the officers, pushing past Bo, who chased after him.

Tegan tried to move, but Phoenix nuzzled her gently, silently urging her to remain still, before he reared on his hind legs and chased after Danny, catching up to him quickly and roughly headbutting the man. King slammed into the ground, head connecting with the road. He tried to get up and run again, but Bo caught up, pulling him up and dragging him back toward the patrol cars.

"Dad?"

"Stay down,"

"M' fine. Let me up."

"You're not going anywhere until an ambulance gets here."

"...Fine."

* * *

"What happened to those rustlers?"

"They've been arrested. The two that caused the wreck and went after you aren't ever getting out of prison."

"What about the third guy?"

"Turns out he was involved with buying and selling stolen livestock; he got a lot of time for every animal he's ever bought and sold."

"So it's all over?"

"It's over."

Tegan sighed, relieved, possibly for the first time in several weeks. She gathered the last of her things and stuffed them in a small bag, walking with her father out of Tri-County Hospital. She hadn't been there very long, a week at most, and would only need to rest up for a few weeks or so before she could get out and be active again.

At least the stitches in my head are gone, she thought, climbing into the front seat of the car. Her arm would be in a sling for a good month and a half, which meant several weeks into the next school year. She drifted off to sleep several times on the way home, the ride too quiet for her liking. She dropped her bag inside the door of the house when they arrived, following the smell of fresh cooked food to the kitchen, where most of the family waited, each wearing a bright smile.

Dinner was lively, the family actually enjoying themselves for the first time in several weeks, without any worry at all. When they were all done, sitting in the living room, there were several loud knocks at the door. Sarah excused herself to answer the door, disappearing from the room. Eli and Tegan leaned back in their seats, craning their necks to see into the hallway by the front door. Moments later, Sarah returned, some one she didn't recognize following close behind.

"Tegan Duke?" she asked, holding her hands behind her back.

Tegan stood up and smiled shyly.

"My name is Charlotte Bell. I'm a horse breeder, from Austin, Texas."

What would a breeder be doing all the way in Georgia, in Hazzard no less.

"Tegan, the horse you've been looking after, and the other three that were recovered after the little 'incident' last week were stolen from me almost a month ago. By Danny King and Greg Thomas. They were bringing them to a client of theirs outside of Atlanta."

"You'll be wanting them back, then?" Tegan asked, sadly.

"Actually, I've been told that Phoenix has developed quite a bond with you...even saved your life. I'm here to tell you that all four are yours now. The proper paperwork and everything has already been filled out."

"You're just giving them to me?" Tegan asked, surprised.

"Sure, right now I'm boarding them in the next county until ya'll can get a stable and fence built here. Why don't I take you by there to see Phoenix?"

Tegan nodded and bolted out the front door, Eli and Charlotte following behind.

* * *

**It's not completely over yet...**

**Review please! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Dukes of Hazzard or any of its characters.**_

* * *

_*** 1 Week Later ***_

The skies were a mucky, cloudy gray, casting a mournful atmosphere throughout the county. The cemetery was no exception.

Phoenix was grazing on the other side of the gate while Tegan walked between the many headstones toward her destination.

It was desolate here, no other people were there that day, the flowers that adorned the memorials were wilting and dull, almost colourless. Tegan carried fresh ones in her arms, along with a single photograph dated a year before. In the photo, she and Jillian, her best friend, were smiling at the camera, like nothing in the world was wrong. _Back when nothing really was wrong_, Tegan thought, approaching the single headstone.

She set the small bunch of flowers down beside it and read the name and epitaph.

_'Beloved daughter and friend'_

"Hey, Jill." Tegan started, voice faltering. "I know ya ain't really here anymore, but, I just wanted to let ya know, we caught the guys responsible. I bumped my head pretty hard and couldn't remember much for a while, but it's comin' back piece by piece.

They're goin' away for a long time, Jill. But you'll never guess who...what helped me." She laughed halfheartedly, glancing over her shoulder at the horse grazing several yards away.

"It was a horse. A two year old colt named Phoenix. I came across 'im after the wreck and he led me to this abandoned old farm where some rustlers were hidin' out with some stolen horses. Turns out he'd been one of 'em.

I like to think, sometimes, that he knew that those rustlers caused the wreck. He'd been so determined to protect me. He nearly trampled one of the rustlers after chasin' 'im down, hurt the guy pretty bad. Phoenix is great...you'd have loved him. "

Tegan knelt down and placed the photo between two flower stems so it wouldn't blow away.

"Your mom is leavin' Georgia soon. Movin' back to Jersey. I guess it hurts too much to stay here and all. I mean, she's gotta drive past that tree every day on her way to work. I guess I'll never feel what she does, but nothin's gonna be right from now on.

Sometime's it's like the world don't even care." Tegan sighed sadly. She sat down cross-legged next to her friend's headstone and picked absentmindedly at the grass.

"I remember though." She said finally. "Trouble always found us. Like when I got us lost on that riding trail three summers ago, and we weren't found until almost midnight. I remember the first time you convinced me to swipe the key to the General, and we never got caught. I did it again a few weeks later, but it was Eli who was with me, and there was no getting out of that. Rosco chased us, then I put a dent in the bumper." She laughed. She hadn't been old enough to drive back then, and still wasn't, but she must have been pretty good to have only gotten caught the one time.

"A couple of people from school have been by here, I guess. There's other stuff here for you." Tegan said, looking at the other objects that surrounded the headstone.  
There was a small bear, a few dead flowers that had been there since the funeral, some cards and letters from Jillian's closest friends.

"I miss you, you were like my sister." She said, tearing up. "Now I'm just stuck with Eli!" she laughed. Unable to stay any longer, she bid her friend a final farewell and left.

"Bye, Jill. Tell my momma I said hi."

* * *

Tegan returned home an hour later, having taken her time on her way. The reality of what happened never really sunk in until now, and she just about broke down as soon as she was inside the house.  
Every happy memory hopped around in her mind like they were taunting her.

* * *

_Four year old Tegan walked cautiously into the classroom, turning once more to wave goodbye to her father as class was beginning. The classroom was completely new to her; other kids her age were gathered about short, round tables, sitting in various coloured plastic chairs.  
Toys were carefully arranged on shelves and in toy bins, text books stacked neatly in the center of each table.  
There was one empty chair and she hurried over to take it, plopping down in the seat next to an auburn haired little girl. She looked up at Tegan and smiled.  
"My name's Jillian!" she introduced.  
"Uh, I'm Tegan."  
"Cool! Are you from here? I'm from New Jersey, we just moved here."  
"Yes, I'm from Hazzard." Tegan answered, shyly.  
"Wanna be friends?" Jillian asked. Tegan smiled and nodded._

* * *

"What's goin' on?"

Tegan looked up, almost startled when her dad walked in.

"Thought you were in town." Tegan said, looking down at the floorboards.

"Got done early." Luke said. He sat down in the chair across from Tegan, but she avoided eye contact.

"You said you were going to the cemetery, did something happen?" Luke asked, concerned.

"No, I just realized somethin'. That's all."

"I know things haven't gone great since the wreck, but ya know ya can talk to me, right?"

Tegan nodded. "I just…I just remembered all the things Jill and I used to do. And then I realized that she's really gone and ain't comin' back."

"Well, what'd you think happened?"

"I don't know! I guess I just wanted to think that she'd just gone away for a while. We were best friends since kindergarten. It's like losing a sibling."

"Losing someone close feels horrible, and it's not going to be easy to move on. But don't think about the fact that they're gone, only that you spent a lot of good times together."

Tegan smiled and hugged him. "Did you feel this way after Momma died?"

Luke sighed. "It's not always the same for everyone." Tegan nodded.

"What was she like?" she finally asked.

"Ebony was…she was beautiful, outgoing, and a joy to be around."

Attention temporarily diverted from the loss of a friend, Tegan thought back to the pictures she found.

"You haven't forgotten anything since it happened, have you?"

"Of course not,"

Tegan smiled. _I guess that's what I needed to hear, _she thought.

* * *

**And that's it! No more for this story, but keep your eyes out for future ones involving Tegan, Eli and Phoenix! **

**Review Please!**


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